“Found it.” She’s quiet for a moment, probably reading the words I carefully wrote. “Nate, are you serious?”
Her excitement unravels me, and I can’t suppress the grin that forms on my lips. I lean back against the chair, feeling the tension in my body ease just a fraction. “Yes, baby. Pack a bag. Two days. Just us and a bottle of champagne.”
“Oh my God!” She gasps, and I swear I can feel her joy radiating through the phone, every word she says makes my heart beat faster.
The Major’s marching toward the office, and I can feel the pressure of time slipping away. I shut my eyes, forcing myself to refocus. “I gotta go. See you later, baby.”
“Laters, love.”
Love.
The word hangs in the air like a fucking storm. It’s a word I never thought I’d hear, let alone feel. But I’m lost in it. Completely fucking lost. Does she mean it? Or is she just caught up in this whirlwind of pretend, caught in this mess we’ve created?
Whatever the reality is, my body doesn’t lie. My heart doesn’t lie. And it reacts every time she’s near. I straighten my posture, pushing back the doubt, and plaster a confident smile on my face.
Being with her fills a void I didn’t even know existed in me. She completes me, makes me feel whole in a way I’ve never experienced before. But how the hell can I tell her that? How do I tell her that I want her to be mine—not just for a few weeks or a few months—but forever? That I want to be the man she leans on, the man she turns to when shit hits the fan?
I don’t know how she feels about me. I don’t know if she sees me the way I see her. If she feels the same weight in her chest when we’re apart. Maybe she’s just used to the idea of this arrangement—of pretending, just enough to make it real. Yet when we’re together, when she holds me, when we kiss, when she touches me, it feels like nothing else matters. It feels real.
I need to know if she feels that too.
When I finally leave the base, the exhaustion is crushing, but I push through it. I can’t back out now. I promised her a break from this madness. It’s happening all too fast and I get her stress even though she doesn’t complain. Two days just for us. And when we come back, I’ll have her—really have her. I’m not letting go.
We’ll get married. I’ll give her my name, my life, everything. And the honeymoon in Hawaii? That’s the cherry on top.
I’ll enjoy every second with her. Because she’s mine. And I’m going to make damn sure she knows it. Forever.
Chapter 15
Isabel
“Just grab your passport,” Nate had said.
That’s all the information he gave me before whisking me off to the airstrip like it was the most normal thing in the world.
Now, we’re cruising above the clouds in a private jet, and I still have no clue where we’re going.
I turn to face him, pulling the soft throw blanket up to my chin. “You know, most people like to tell their travel companions where they’re headed.”
He smirks, eyes sparkling with mischief as he leans back in his seat, ankle resting on his knee. “Most people are boring.”
I roll my eyes but smile anyway, stretching out beside him. “So what am I packing for? Beaches and bikinis or boots and coats?”
He slips his arm around me, tugging me gently into his side. “Just trust me.”
“Hmm.” I nestle in closer. “You’re lucky I do.”
His hand moves slowly along my arm, his touch soothing. “You're tired,” he murmurs. “Close your eyes for a bit. I’ll wake you when we land.”
I yawn against his shoulder. “I’m only closing my eyes for five minutes.”
“Sure you are.”
I’m not even sure when I drift off, lulled by the hum of the engines and the steady rise and fall of Nate’s breathing. But the next thing I feel is his hand brushing a strand of hair from my face.
“Hey,” he whispers gently. “Wake up, sleepyhead.”
My eyes flutter open, and for a split second, it’s déjà vu. His voice, his face, the way he’s looking at me—it takes me back to the first time he ever woke me up like this, and my heart does that soft flutter it always saves just for him.
